Baby Me                                                            Bluebirds In The Moonlight
Baby Mine                                                         Boog It
Back To Back                                                   But It Didn’t Mean A Thing
Basket Weaver Man
Be Happy
Beat Me Daddy, Eight To The Bar
Below The Equator
Bless You
Blue Evening
Blue Moonlight
Blue Orchids
Blue Rain
Blueberry Hill
 
 
 
 
 


Baby Me

As recorded by the Glenn Miller Orchestra on July 26th 1939 with Kay Starr.
Written by Archie Gottler, Harry Harris and Lou Handman.
 

Baby me, come on and pet me, honey, baby me
You know you get me when you give me that affectionate talk
Like "darling, dearie, precious, pretty", I could go for „itty bitty“...
Baby me, because I love it when you baby me
The beauty of it is that I love you and you love me too
So Baby, won’t you baby me!
 


Baby Mine

As recorded by the Glenn Miller Orchestra on November 3rd 1941 with Ray Eberle.
Words by Ned Washington, music by Frank Churchill.  (From the movie „Dumbo“)
 

Baby mine, don’t you cry
Baby mine, dry your eyes
Rest your head close to my heart
Never to part, baby of mine
Little one, when you play
Don’t you mind what they say
Let those eyes sparkle and shine
Never a tear, baby of mine

If they knew sweet little you
They‘d end up loving you too
All those same people who scold you,
What they’d give just for the right to hold you...

From your head to your toe
You‘re not much, goodness knows,
But you‘re so precious to me
Cute as can be
Baby of mine...!
 


Back To Back

As recorded by the Glenn Miller Orchestra on June 2nd 1939 with Marion
Hutton.
Words and music by Irving Berlin.
 

Dancing back to back
Takes you off the beaten track
You don’t look at your partner at all
When you dance back to back
That’s that new attack
That the other dances lack
You can see what goes on in the hall
When you dance back to back...

Your partner won’t see you make eyes at who dances by
Your partner won't mind it, he’s doing the same,
That’s why you must dance back to back,
Let me place you in the pack
Cut the cards and I’ll deal you a queen and a jack
Back to back!
 


Basket Weaver Man

As recorded by the Glenn Miller Orchestra on August 18th, 1939 with Ray Eberle.
Words by Joe McCarthy, music by Walter Donaldson.
 

Have you heard the Basket Weaver Man?
He will always sell you all he can
He could weave a ripple out of little mountain streams
Or a basket loaded with brandnew dreams...

All the little babies sing his song
All day long
On his finger there’s a rhythm lingers*
On his "ra-ta-ta-ta" music**
Of the Basket Weaver Man

He could weave a rainbow
He could weave a sunbeam
He could weave a moonbeam
Or the evening star

He could take two sweethearts,
Weave them into one heart
Weave them so they won’t part
Very, very far

All the little babies sing his song
All day long
On his finger there’s a rhythm lingers*
On his "ra-ta-ta-ta" music**
Of the Basket Weaver Man

Oh-ya-yah
Oh-ya-yah...

(*: In contemporary English, the word 'that' would be used between the words 'rhythm' and 'lingers', which makes it comprehensible to our 'modern' ears. Of course they could have made it easy and just written 'on his finger, there the rhythm lingers', but they didn't. - Notes by John Cooper)
**: 'ratatata' is a musical term (an Italian phrase) for a rapid method/approach of fingering a stringed instrument such as a guitar or a mandolin. - Notes by John Cooper)
 


Be Happy

As recorded by the Glenn Miller Orchestra on June 13th 1940 with Marion Hutton.
Written by Henry Nemo, Louis Prima and Edgar Battle.
 

Laugh and sing, be happy
It’s the thing, be happy,
Wink your eye, then fix your tie
Be as I, be happy!

Fall in line, be happy,
Waste no time, be happy
Time won’t wait, why hesitate
Call it fate, be happy!

When the guy called trouble
Throws you for a loss
Heads or tails, win or lose
Show him that you’re still the boss...

Start today, be happy
Why delay, he happy
Don‘t you to try to alibi
Be as I, be happy!

Why delay, he happy
Start today, be happy
Don’t you try to alibi
Be happy!
 


Beat Me Daddy, Eight To The Bar

As recorded by the Glenn Miller Orchestra on September 12th 1940 with Jack Lathrop.
Written by Don Raye, Hughie Prince and Elinor Sheehy.
 

In a little honky-tonky village in Texas
There’s a guy who plays the best piano by far
He can play piano any way that you like it
But the way he likes it best is eight to the bar
When he plays it’s a ball,
He is the daddy of them all...

The people gather round when he gets on the stand
Then when he plays he gets a hand

The rhythm he beats puts the cats in a trance
Nobody there bothers to dance
And when he jams with the bass and guitar
They holler all, „Beat me daddy, eight to bar!“

 A plink, plunkin‘ on the keys,
 A riff, well, a-riffin‘ out with ease

And when he jams with the bass and guitar
They holler all, „Come on and beat me daddy, eight to bar!“
 


Below The Equator

As recorded by the Glenn Miller Orchestra on February 20th 1941 with Ray Eberle and the Modernaires.
Written by Charlie Tobias and Cliff Friend.
 

The moon was high below the equator
And you and I were so in love
The sea was blue below the equator
Our dreams were new and so was love

We strolled where the Andes kiss the sky
Through palms filled with silken moss
´Twas there that we cried and kissed goodbye
By the light of the Southern Cross

My heart will stay below the equator
Until the day we meet again...!
 


Bless You

As recorded by the Glenn Miller Orchestra on October 9th 1939 with Ray Eberle.
Written by Eddie Lane and Don Baker.
 

Bless you for being an angel
Just when it seemed that heaven was not for me
Bless you for building a new dream
Just when my old dream crumbled so helplessly

In that vine-covered chapel on the hill
Your face was a hymn that lingered still

So bless you, my darling, my angel
Heaven is mine and life is divine with you!
 


Blue Evening

As recorded by the Glenn Miller Orchestra on May 25th 1939 with Ray Eberle.
Written by Gordon Jenkins and Joe Bishop.
 

Blue evening after a lonely day
Blue evening spent in the same old way
My future looks as dark as the skies above me
There must be someone here in this world who loves me...

A sweet love song would be so grand to know
But my love songs are all from the radio
Another dawn is waiting for me, another day and then
Another blue evening again...
 


Blue Moonlight

As recorded by the Glenn Miller Orchestra on August 18th 1939 with Ray Eberle.
Written by Dana Suesse.
 

Blue moonlight enfolds the night
And you are my arms‘ delight
Sweet are the secrets to tell
Here in the spell of...

Blue moonlight that fills the skies
There‘s some of it in your eyes
Or is it what I’m dreaming of,
Whisper and say it’s love...

The world could stand still, I’d never know,
I’m lost in the thrill of loving you so,
Here in the glow of...

Blue Moonlight that seems to shine
Right into this heart of mine
Tell me this heaven is true
Tell me you love me too!
 


Blue Orchids

As recorded by the Glenn Miller Orchestra on June 27th 1939 with Ray Eberle.
Written by Hoagy Carmichael.
 

I dreamed of two blue orchids
Two beautiful blue orchids
One night while in my lonely room
I dreamed of two blue orchids
So rare and full of light
That I wanted to possess each tender bloom

Then my dream took wings
And through a thousand springs
Blue orchids seemed in a world apart

But when I met you
Something pale and blue
Came stealing from the meadows of my heart

I saw my two blue orchids
My beautiful blue orchids
Last night, and what a sweet surprise,
When you looked at me
It was plain to see
Blue orchids only bloom in your eyes!
 


Blue Rain

As recorded by the Glenn Miller Orchestra on October 3rd 1939 with Ray Eberle.
Words by Johnny Mercer, music by James Van Heusen.
 

Blue rain falling down on my window pane
But when you return there’ll be a rainbow
After the blue, blue rain...

And there’s a blue star looking down asking where you are
But when you return there’ll be a sunbeam
Hiding the blue, blue star...

Skies will be much brighter than they were before
When you and love come strolling through the door

Then there‘ll be no more blue rain,
Just the sound of my heart’s refrain,
Singing like a million little bluebirds
After the blue, blue rain!
 


Blueberry Hill

As recorded by the Glenn Miller Orchestra on June 13th 1940 with Ray Eberle.
Written by Al Lewis, Larry Stock and Vincent Rose.
 

I found my thrill on Blueberry Hill,
On Blueberry Hill when I found you
The moon stood still on Blueberry Hill
And lingered until my dreams came true

The wind in the willow played
Love's sweet melody
But all of those vows we made
Were never to be...

Though we're apart, you're part of me still
For you were my thrill on Blueberry Hill!
 


Bluebirds In The Moonlight

As recorded by the Glenn Miller Orchestra on October 9th 1939 with Marion Hutton.
Written by Ralph Rainger and Leo Robin. (From the animated cartoon „Gulliver’s Travels“)
 

There are bluebirds in the moonlight
Silly idea: bluebirds in the moonlight,
But that’s how I feel when I‘m with you

There are nightowls in the daylight
Silly idea: nightowls in the daylight

Or maybe my heart is saying, „whoo-whoo, whoo-whoo..“
Who is the one for me?
You, that‘s what you’ve done to me...

There are bluebirds in the moonlight
Silly idea: bluebirds in the moonlight,
But that’s how I feel when I‘m with you!
 


Boog It

As recorded by the Glenn Miller Orchestra on March 30th 1940 with Marion Hutton.
Written by Buck Ram, Jack Palmer and Cab Calloway.
 

Boog it, nothin‘ to it, Jack
In the mellow track
Boog it, got it comin‘ back
Bim-bam, skim-skam, jim-jam
Romp!

Boog it, ev’rybody out, boog it
Who you’re hunchin’ now?*
Ev’rybody ´bow!
Bim-bam, skim-skam, jim-jam
Romp!

You do like shining a window
But you ain’t got no window
So you just picture a window
And boog it slow and easy

Boog it, nothin‘ to it, Jack
In the mellow track
Boog it, got it comin‘ back
Bim-bam, skim-skam, jim-jam
Romp!


(*: Chick Webb recorded "Who Ya Hunchin'?" in 1938 - I think it refers to a jitterbug dance step. - notes by Dave Weiner)

 
But It Didn’t Mean A Thing

As recorded by the Glenn Miller Orchestra on April 18th 1939 with Marion Hutton.
Words by Mack David, music by Jerry Livingston.
 

And so you kissed me
But it didn‘t mean a thing
Never was a sigh so tender
But it didn’t mean a thing

When you caressed me
How I wanted you to cling!
You pretended to surrender
But it didn’t mean a thing...

I gave you my heart
And you thrilled me with delight
But you never gave me your heart
You just loaned it for the night

If vows were made of gold
I’d now wear a wedding ring
You swore that you loved me
But it didn‘t mean a thing...
 

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